Field of the Present Invention
The present invention relates generally to infant, baby and toddler seating devices and more specifically to a multi-functional infant, baby and toddler seating system that can be used for various seating purposes for an infant in an infant carrier, or babies and toddlers that need a highchair.
Background
When choosing to eat in a restaurant, children often play a pivotal role in the parent's decision on where a family dines. When parents and caregivers of young children, particularly infants, babies and toddlers, are certain their children are safe, comfortable, and out of harm's way during a meal in a restaurant, they tend to relax and have a more enjoyable dining experience, stay longer, spend more on the meals, and are more likely to return to the same restaurant for a similarly enjoyable dining experience. This is a primary reason why many quick-service and full-service restaurants are becoming increasingly aware that proper seating accommodations for young children, especially babies still in infant carriers, is essential to the profitability of their businesses.
The size and developmental stage of a child significantly determines which child seating device is most appropriate. For example, an infant is generally a baby of less than six months of age and has yet to develop the necessary physical and mental skills necessary to sit upright on its own, especially in a highchair. However, because some babies develop faster than other babies, some larger and more mentally alert babies can likely use a highchair. An array of child seating products available to restaurants, including, for example; “single-use highchairs,” “dual-purpose highchairs,” “infant carrier stands” and “infant carrier slings” (i.e., devices for babies still in infant carriers), and “booster seats” (i.e., devices for children typically older, larger, and more mature than toddlers). However, when any of aforementioned single-use child seating products or devices are occupied, such “single-use-at-a-time” products afford no extended or additional use for a restaurant while such a device is being utilized. Restaurants must also have adequate space and also the means to store all such various child seating devices in order to have the proper and safe seating accommodations for infants, babies, and toddlers.
When parents or caregivers visit a restaurant, the infant child often remains nestled within its infant carrier when brought into a dining establishment, leaving many parents to struggle with the decision of where to safely place the baby in the infant carrier. While the aforementioned infant carrier stands or infant carrier slings are readily available to restaurants, not all full-service or quick-service restaurants offer such devices and oftentimes the parents' choices of where to safely place the baby in the infant carrier are limited to placing the baby, in the infant carrier, on the top of the dining table, on the floor, on an adult-height dining chair, or wedged into a booth seat. Thus, the comfort level is not high for most of the parents that experience such a dilemma when dining out with their infant children. Furthermore, in order to attempt to accommodate a family with a baby that still requires an infant carrier, some restaurants will invert a traditional wooden highchair as a means to “hold” or “accommodate” the infant carrier (and baby), in spite of the fact that this practice is contrary to the intended use of traditional highchairs. Devices as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,248,181 and 5,470,039 respectively, are single-use devices intended for infant carriers only, and are available to restaurants.
Prior to becoming toddlers, babies typically outgrow the infant carrier stage and begin to possess the ability to sit upright on their own, but most babies and toddlers require the extra height and safety features afforded by a highchair to properly and safely reach the surface of a dining table to eat. Additionally, babies and toddlers require the containment, and restraint system, or safety belts, commonly associated with highchairs, as these are necessary means to keep babies and toddlers from falling out or climbing out of such a device. Dual-purpose child seating devices that are reconfigurable to hold an infant carrier and convert to hold a baby or a toddler are available to restaurants. Two such dual-purpose child seating devices are conveyed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,074,007 and 6,659,544. Booster seats, which are another child seating product readily available to restaurants and parents alike, are intended to be used by young children who are generally larger, older, and are more mentally and physically developed than toddlers. In the United States, established safety standards and requirements to pass such safety standards are defined differently for booster seats and for highchairs. Generally, most commonly available booster seats do not provide the same protection, enclosure, or the seat height needed to afford a capable baby or toddler the ability to reach and eat from a dining table, but rather, simply give a young child the nominal “boost” needed to reach and eat from a dining table. As such, young children able to safely use a booster seat do not typically require the containment and other safety elements commonly associated with a highchair for babies and toddlers. The device illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,311 illustrates the seat height difference between what is needed for a baby or toddler able to use a highchair and the height generally needed for an older and larger child able to use a booster seat.
All of the various child seating devices currently available to restaurants are appreciated for their intended functions. However, the unique utility with the child seating products is directly associated with one particular child seating use at a time, even with the referenced dual-purpose child seating devices. In a restaurant setting, the limitation with such single-use child seating devices can attribute to longer wait times for family patrons, and in turn, can result in a reduction in repeat business for restaurants. Moreover, providing the various proper seating accommodations for babies, toddlers, and other young children can be rather costly for restaurants, as well as occupy an inordinate amount of storage space within the restaurant when three such different devices are not in use.
Parents with young children, particularly toddlers and babies in infant carriers, often prefer a booth when dining in a restaurant. Currently, many restaurants elect to place a baby or toddler in a highchair at the end of the booth table, which is generally in the aisle, amongst the busy foot traffic from wait staff and patrons alike. This is an undesirable scenario for the baby or toddler, parents, and restaurants alike because the baby or toddler is placed in such a location where the highchair could be bumped and possibly tipped over or something could be easily spilled or dropped on the baby or toddler by passersby. Therefore, restaurants would benefit from utilizing a booth-seating highchair device because the toddler would be amongst his/her caregivers sitting in the same restaurant booth, the toddler would be removed from harm's way of the restaurant aisle foot traffic, there would be more aisle space for restaurant patrons, there would be a very unlikely chance that a booth-seating highchair would be tipped over by passersby in the aisle, and also less opportunity for the toddler to disrupt surrounding restaurant patrons dining at tables or other booths in the restaurant. A child in a booth-seating highchair device would also be a part of the dining experience, and therefore, less likely to “act out” or feel disconnected from the rest of the family, otherwise resorting to loud and disruptive behavior to garner attention.
When the infant, baby, and toddler seating devices currently available to restaurants are being used, such devices afford no extra use for a second child when such a device is occupied. Additionally, when a restaurant has a limited supply of such “single-use-at-a-time” devices, restaurant patrons often have to wait for the appropriate seating device for an infant, baby, or toddler to become available. Alternatively, for example, if a restaurant has a limited supply of the infant carrier stands and such devices are occupied, the restaurant patron who needs the use of such a device for their infant child will often be offered an inverted toddler highchair to accommodate the infant in an infant carrier. This is an unfortunate, yet common scenario.
Accordingly, it is believed that a need exists for a multi-functional infant, baby, and toddler seating system which affords at least three distinctly different child seating uses from the same device. Moreover, it is believed that a need for such a seating device in which its individual components can be used together, or alternatively, used independently, yet, simultaneously for uniquely different infant, baby, and toddler seating needs exists. It is also believed that the aspects and features of the present invention accommodate such seating needs